Cask & Larder is proud to announce that a veteran Swine Family chef has taken helm of the Cask & Larder kitchen. Following an impressive three year tenure as sous chef at The Ravenous Pig, Scott Pizzo has brought his acclaimed cooking style to Cask & Larder as the all new chef de cuisine.

And of course with a new chef comes new dishes!

Chef Scott has wasted little time showing off his distinctively Floridian culinary style. Cask & Larder’s new seasonal menu features a variety of his signature dishes, such as Florida Wahoo, Melon Salad with gin-pickled beets and feta panna cotta, Pork Belly Mushroom Tart and Campfire Ribs, which are aged and prepared in a method similar to how indigenous Native American tribes from Florida cooked them.

Chef Austin, will serve his signature Shoyu Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen, which recently won “Best Ramen” at the first-ever Ramen Rumble. Chef Scott will showcase several Asian style dishes prepared with a southern twist including Peking Duck, Peking Poussin, and Peking Goat, as well as Pig Head with Spoonbread Steamed Buns, Nigiri Pops, Big Beef Short Ribs, Whole Fish and Soup Dumplings.

June was National Steakhouse Month, and maybe this would have been perfect for then, but any month is a great month for steak if you ask me. Really when you think about it, any week or day is a great time for steak.

Although we all enjoy a fine evening at a steakhouse, especially one like Christner’s with great steaks and seafood, it is the summer time and that always seems to bring out the grill master in all of us. So as you continue on your magical summer of grilling and pool parties, check out some of these tips from Orlando’s lady of steak herself, Alice Christner….

When it comes to seafood,

-Buy as fresh as you possibly can
-How you cook seafood is really important

-Denser fish like Tuna or Swordfish are wonderful to cook on the grill. You can cook them like you would a steak and they hold up well and yield great flavor

-Delicate white fish like grouper or snapper are best cooked in the oven and lend well to different sauces

On the subject of meat, Alice says,-Buy the highest grade of beef you can

-Angus at the supermarket (like Publix) is a good consumer choice for something more affordable, but USDA Prime, like Christner’s has on the menu, is the best grade to get. Fresh Market sells it, but a personal favorite is Petty’s Meat Market in Longwood.

-Season your steaks with Kosher salt and pepper; this will help bring out the natural flavors in the meat

-Steak is best when cooked to medium rare. You get a great flavor this way. The only cut that is better to cook to medium is Ribeye because it is the most marbled of all the meats.

Of course if you would rather leave the cooking to the professionals, then you can always make a reservation at Christner's Prime Steak and Lobster at 729 Lee Road Orlando, FL., 32810.

You can call them at (407) 645-4443.... and you just might run into Alice Christner herself.